Chapter 30
-Swoosh!
The pitch-black sword rushed in swiftly. The target was none other than Yuri herself.
"Eh?"
Yuri couldn't comprehend the current situation at all.
Why would he suddenly try to attack her?
She had never heard of a Demon attacking its Contractor.
Besides, wasn't this a violation of the Contract in the first place? How on earth could he move so perfectly fine?
However, she had no time for questions.
She was already staring death in the face.
With her mouth slightly agape in that fleeting eternity, she could only watch the approaching Sword Blade and silently repeat the word, 'Why?'
"You crazy Demon!!!"
Meanwhile, Shion was so horrified by Raven's sudden action that she even forgot her usual cat-like speech.
She urgently threw herself forward to block the sword with her Knife, but she reacted a bit too late, having let her guard down while distracted by Raven's crazy antics.
Swoosh!!!
It was a truly desperate(?) moment as the unhinged Demon's thick murderous intent(?) stormed toward the young Human.
"Chirp!"
'Magpie?'
-Swish!!!
Along with the dependable cry of the small creature, a fierce wind gusted right beside Yuri.
Flinch.
Yuri's eyes instinctively closed at the biting wind brushing past her ears.
-Clang!
Soon after, a fierce wind pressure surged with the sharp sound of clashing metal, making Yuri's bangs flutter wildly. Scraping against the white Moss spread across the grayish-white floor, Yuri's body was pushed back about three steps.
....
After a brief, light impact, a suffocating silence suddenly fell.
Yuri slowly opened her eyes to assess the situation.
"Ah?"
The pitch-black sword had stopped right in front of her, and a trembling black branch was blocking the strike.
Twitch.
'No, it's not a branch. Is it... a Tentacle?'
Yuri slowly moved her gaze as if bewitched, following the thin, cylindrical Pillar that repeatedly expanded and contracted as if it were a living, breathing creature.
At the end of the Pillar, which grew thicker and thicker, was...
'Why is something like this on me?'
...herself.
To be exact, it seemed to be stretching out from the Robe on her back.
One strange thing was that despite such a thick and long object being attached to her Robe, the Robe didn't sag, nor did she feel any weight.
Just as Yuri's brain throbbed from the series of incomprehensible events, Raven withdrew his sword, nodded in satisfaction at the black Tentacle, and spoke.
"How is it, Thief? With that kind of ability, wouldn't it be more than enough to pull its weight in the Green Zone?"
"...."
"...."
....
Veins slightly bulged on Yuri and Shion's foreheads.
Even the black Tentacle gently swaying from Yuri's Shoulder had fine wrinkles forming on it.
That crazy Demon currently had absolutely no idea what he had done wrong.
That must be why he was saying such ridiculous nonsense.
An even Wrath—one that Chroma Ira might have evaluated by saying, 'Hmm~ It's a somewhat acceptable taste, isn't it?'—bloomed within the two people and one animal. It began to burn the Crow, who was tilting his Head, completely clueless to the situation.
"Did you seriously attack the Adventurer just to show off Magpie's ability, meow...? Are you completely out of your mind, Crow?"
"Raven, I'm sorry to ask, but do Demons catch illnesses too?"
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
"...Hmm?"
Flinching slightly at the fiercely cold reaction of his Party Members, Raven hurriedly continued, saying there seemed to be a misunderstanding.
"Wait, I think there's a misunderstanding. I wasn't trying to attack my Contractor. I merely pretended to attack to demonstrate Magpie's ability."
At Raven's added remark, 'Didn't I tell you beforehand?', Yuri and Shion tilted their Heads to the side, wondering, 'Did he~?'
As their Heads tilted to the left, the memories of the two slowly rewound.
A temporary Regression of the mind, within the turned-back time.
The Demon's voice played back, calmly murmuring after creating a black sword in midair.
"Do not be afraid. I have no intention of actually hurting you."
Just what exactly did he warn us about, this crazy Demon?
Shion and Yuri were outraged.
....
Magpie also tried to join their Wrath, but couldn't bring itself to betray its Father, so it quietly kept its mouth shut.
Well, even if it did open its mouth, they wouldn't understand a word anyway.
"Stop your bullshit, meow! Did the Crow seriously learn human speech from an actual crow, meow? How are we supposed to understand you if you talk like that, meow!"
"...From what I see, Raven shouldn't be running a Dungeon right now. He needs to go to a Hospital immediately. Shion, is there by any chance a Hospital that specializes in treating Demons?"
"Don't worry about it, Adventurer, meow. There isn't an exclusive Hospital for Demons in Bastion, but there is one place where they lock up Demons to calm them down when they act weird, meow!"
"Oh. Where is that?"
"It's the Magic Tower's Underground Prison, meow! If you throw them in there for about a week, they come out surprisingly docile, meow! There isn't a single Demon in Bastion who hasn't been to the Magic Tower's Underground Prison, meow! It's a place every Demon has to visit at least once, meow!"
"...I'll definitely have to remember that."
Yuri glanced at Raven as she said that.
Raven was already kneeling on the ground with both hands raised high!
He was the very epitome of an apologetic Demon. A master of kneeling on his Knees; no, a pathetic sight reminiscent of a grounded child.
'Honestly....'
Yuri wanted to be a bit angrier, but her energy drained away at his trivial appearance, so unlike a high-ranking Demon.
"To think that's the Demon of Fear... it's seriously absurd, meow."
And it seemed Shion felt the exact same way.
Meanwhile, thinking he might end up staring at Bean Rice in a cell—food he couldn't eat even if it were given to him—Raven raised his Head, which he had strategically bowed for a better Escape from the situation, and delivered an apology.
"...I am sorry, Contractor. I think I was... crazy for a moment. So, please reconsider the Underground Prison at the very least...."
"I'll think about it."
"Crow, why are you only apologizing to the Adventurer, meow? I was shocked too, meow!"
"Chirp chirp!"
"Alright, I'm sorry to all of you."
Thus, the second rampage of the Demon of Fear quietly came to an end with Raven's heartfelt(?) apology.
***
-Swish!!!
An ominously black bundle of Tentacles whipped toward Shion with a vicious sound of cutting through the wind.
"Ugh!"
Shion hurriedly twisted her Head. A single black Tentacle grazed dangerously past her gray hair.
Twitch, twitch!
Writhing unpleasantly, they swung quickly at her.
The black Tentacles, which occasionally aimed for her blind spots with sharp thrusts, were horrific enough to induce goosebumps just by looking at them. Yet, Shion's eyes remained unwaveringly calm.
[Courage]
-Does not easily succumb to fear.
Her golden Pupils moved rapidly, tracking the irregular movements of the Tentacles.
'I can't predict their movements.'
However.
[Evasion]
-Is not easily hit.
It was easier to dodge than expected.
Compared to the crazy Phantom that had chased her as if to kill her, they were so slow she could almost yawn.
Tap! Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap!
Shion took light Steps on her toes, continuously deflecting the Tentacles converging from all directions—left, right, front, and back—by a hair's breadth.
Her graceful movements, not allowing a single clean hit, clearly demonstrated why she was a 5-Tier Adventurer.
But....
"Just how long are you going to keep attacking, meow!!! Are you trying to make me collapse from exhaustion, meow!!!"
An urgent shout burst from Shion's lips as she hurriedly pulled her body back to avoid the Tentacles.
"Hmm? Is the test already over?"
Unable to hold back against Raven, who was acting relaxed and pretending not to know despite knowing everything, Shion raised her voice.
"Of course it is, meow!!! Can't you tell just by looking, meow! So hurry up and tell Magpie to get rid of these gross Tentacles, meow!"
"Contractor, she says so."
"I wanted to observe Shion's amazing movements a little longer. It's a bit of a shame. Magpie, please stop now."
"Chirp."
Halt.
At Yuri's command, the black Tentacles came to an immediate stop.
Swish.
The Tentacles that had been constricting Shion from all sides rapidly shrank, absorbing into Yuri's Robe until they vanished without a trace.
"Meoow. I seriously thought I was going to die from exhaustion, meow....."
Plop.
Shion sprawled out flat on the soft white Moss, clearly exhausted. Raven and Yuri walked over to her, sparing no praise.
"That was an excellent Evasive Maneuver, Thief. You dodge like a true professional."
"Are you being sarcastic right now, Crow?"
"It's a compliment."
"Your movements were truly incredible, Shion."
"Thank you, meow! The Adventurer is the only one I can count on, meow! The Crow should just rot away in the Demon Realm, meow!"
"This is discrimination against Demons."
"It's not discrimination against Demons. It's discrimination against Crows, meow!"
"That's quite a hurtful thing to say."
Buzz.
Although they had met less than two days ago, the two people and one Demon had grown close, perhaps from experiencing so many crazy events (caused by Raven) together.
Sitting side-by-side with their backs leaning against a Rock covered in damp, plush Moss, they chatted animatedly while keeping a moderate watch on their surroundings.
The topic of conversation was, of course, Magpie—the Kin (not really) of the Demon of Fear (not really) who had made a 5-Tier Adventurer break a sweat.
"So, Thief. Now that you've tested it yourself, what do you think of Magpie?"
"Hmm, meow...."
Placing her chin between her index finger and thumb in an odd pose that showed off her slender jawline, Shion organized her thoughts before speaking with an unnecessarily serious expression.
"From what I can tell, it's safe to say Magpie is around the 5-Tier level like me, meow. It would easily handle the Green Zone, and with that much skill, it could definitely hold its own in the Red Zone, meow!"
"That's good to hear."
"Oh. As expected of Raven's Kin, it really is amazing."
"Chirp!"
Swoosh!
Happy to be praised, Magpie popped out from Yuri's Shoulder and lightly fluttered its wings.
'So soft....'
Whenever Magpie's pitch-black, elastic wings brushed against her pale cheeks, the corners of Yuri's mouth twitched, threatening to rise into a smile.
Gulp.
Swish....
Yuri carefully leaned her cheek in closer, wanting to feel more of Magpie's touch.
"Chirp?"
She moved as slowly as possible to avoid being caught, but she couldn't escape Magpie's sharp senses.
'Hmm? Does the Savior want to get closer to me? If so, why is she moving so slowly?'
Magpie, who had been tilting its Head and watching Yuri slowly creep closer, suddenly hopped sideways and pressed its body against her cheek.
It just couldn't stand watching her move slower than a Mutant with severed legs.
Taking after its Master, Magpie had a personality that couldn't tolerate frustration.
Meanwhile, having finally succeeded in making contact with the Magpie she so desired, Yuri....
"!!!"
'So squishy...!'
A smile automatically spread across her face at the cool, soft, smooth, yet bouncy texture—a touch that was far more satisfying than she had imagined.
Rub, rub.
Closing her eyes, Yuri quietly rubbed her cheek against Magpie's side wing, fully savoring the happiness of a true Pet Owner.
Shion and Raven watched Yuri and Magpie with fond Mom and Dad smiles.
'Cute.'
'Oh, to be young, meow.'
A small moment of happiness and peace found in a corner of a Dungeon full of unknowns and threats.
At the center of it all, Yuri quietly whispered with her cheek pressed against Magpie.
"I look forward to working with you, Magpie."
"Chirp!"
Magpie, joined the Party.
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